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Monday 6/10 WOD at PCF

Fair warning: I’m feeling chatty today, so this post is pretty wordy. I also had stronger coffee than normal this morning, so that could be partially to blame.

That being said, I’m also completely exhausted today. For some reason, being at Regionals completely took everything out of me. I don’t know if it was the humidity, or standing up for a lot of the day, or being so focused on what was going on for so long, but both Saturday and Sunday I got home and immediately passed out for a few hours, before eating and then going to sleep fairly early. I woke up this morning and felt weak and stiff, and the metcon for today looked awful, but I got in there.

Ugh, the quality on this is awful!

Strength:

Back Squat 3-3-3-3: 125-130(PR!)-125-125(f on 3rd rep). I didn’t quite break parallel on the last rep at 130, but I got down in the first two. Even getting two solid reps at 130 is a pretty big PR for me, so I’m not too upset. Today I was bending all over the place though. I couldn’t get my midline stabilization locked in, so I was bending forward a pretty decent amount on the last two sets, which eventually caused me to fail on the last rep of the fourth set. Next week I’m going to stick at 125 (assuming we’re still doing sets of 3) and get four solid sets in again and then move up from there. Probably a little too ambitious for a day where I already felt weak and wobbly.

WOD for Time: 16:55

On the KB swings, I decided to just go as high as I could without getting the full extension of my arms and shoulders. I was swinging it above my head every time, but not all the way. It was the first time attempting full-ish swings since, mmm, February? Before my elbow incident. Part of me is irritated I didn’t just go for full push-ups and KB swings, but I also know that I probably would have pushed too hard. Ugh, being almost healed from an injury and having to limit yourself is almost as bad as being fully injured! I am extremely proud of myself for the runs though. I wasn’t moving as fast as I do on the 400ms, but I also didn’t stop to walk once. I remember when not walking during 400m runs was an accomplishment. It’s so mental for me, and today could have been because I was so focused on not slipping and falling on the wet pavement that I didn’t even have time to think about how much running sucks. Whatever the reason, I’m damn proud of myself for not stopping.

Okay, now I have a bunch to say about how inspiring Regionals was, and how much I love Patriot. Putting it behind a cut, because it’s pretty boring.

Man, the final day of Regionals was amazing. So much heart with teams and individuals right on the edge of making it to the Games fighting as hard as possible to get that one extra point needed. I also got to catch up with Todd and Rhonda from Crossfit Carteret, which was super great as always. I almost impulse-bought some Oly shoes from Reebok, but I decided last minute that I should do some research before dropping $100+ on shoes I have never read into. I also really wanted to buy some knee sleeves from Rogue, but I waited too long and they sold out of small early in day on Saturday.

Either way, it was incredibly inspiring watching C. Marty and Jen N. and Team PCF compete. It’s amazing to have these athletes as role models and the white rabbits to chase. They set such an amazing example for everyone at the gym, proving that if you put in the work you will succeed. I’m now split half and half about whether I’d ever want to compete. Half of me is the normal half, the half that I’m used to, which is “I don’t like competing.” I was kicked out of gymnastics because I couldn’t find a gym in this area that would let me just workout and do it without being on a team. I don’t really like team sports because of the pressure from teammates/coaches and the lack of love for just doing it to do it. That’s why I’m so drawn to Crossfit. There is pressure to be YOUR best, and any pressure against others is put there by your own will, not by others.

But then there is the other half of me, which is a completely new feeling. I kind of want to compete, for the first time ever. I want to be ranked well. I want to be strong as fuck, and have the performance to prove it. This is such a foreign concept to me it actually makes me feel uncomfortable right now writing about it.

To say that I look up to Erika and Ande and ML and Jen N. would be an understatement. I don’t know much (read: anything) about their lives outside the gym, but inside the gym at least, they are my role models, and somehow this weekend, they helped spark this weird competitive drive inside of me. I don’t know where it will take me, or if I’ll ever want to actually compete once I get to that level (because I WILL get to that level with dedication and hard work), but right now, I know the direction I need to continue in.

So basically, thank you PCF and all of your wonderful coaches and members. You guys make me a better me, and I couldn’t ask to have fallen into a better group of athletes and people who push me on a regular basis. Y’all keep me honest and I love being part of your family, even though I do tend to be more on the shy, quiet side while there.